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EBT, I can tell if you need it by what you buy

So let’s talk about EBT, known better as Food Stamps. It’s a plastic card with an American Flag image, and is used to buy your food. You have to apply for this card, but I’m not sure the standards and checks and balances are really in place to see if you NEED this service. Here’s why. I’ll give you a few examples and I’m not exaggerating or blaming, just letting you know what I see every day. All of the following examples are using EBT.

Elderly white couple, soups, bananas, milk, yogurt, peanuts, chicken, pretzels. Do they need it? I think they do and I also think they must do most of their shopping elsewhere but get a few things at my store. This doesn’t seem like enough food to really make a meal but it is more than just snacks.

40something white couple, lots of steaks and pot roasts, lots of potatos and barbeque sauce, house brand cereal and sodas. Do they need it? I’m not sure. Seems like a lot of one kind of food, and likely a luxery shopping trip. When you’re on a budget (of your own money) you don’t spend 50$ on prime steaks. My vote is that they are on the edge of need and are abusing the system.

23 year old black girl. She buys bread and lunch meat, house brand cereal and milk, and lean cuisines that are on sale.She uses coupons and shops the sales. Does she need it? Yes. Her food seems like the exact thing a young single gal would eat every day.

30’something black couple. They buy name brand soda, name brand cereal cups (that’s a prepackaged cup of fruit loops, just add milk and a spoon), lunchables, name brand chips, lots of ice cream and about 10 assorted boxes of what I call sugar cakes. Things like hostess cupcakes, honey buns, brownie bars etc. They also buy crab legs and prime steak. None of what they get is on sale and they don’t use coupons. Do they need it? No. This is all junk food and luxury items. They clearly buy their real food elsewhere and use their EBT at my store to buy all their junk food.

40something white woman with her daughter. She buys ALL “sugar cakes” and chips, mountain dew and ice cream. Her bill is literally $200.00 of junk food and soda. I am disgusted. Obviously she does not NEED EBT she is just abusing it to feed her fat face and her fat daughters fat face. (fat much? wonder why….cupcakes!!!)

It has become so obvious to me now, that I guess correctly if you’re going to use EBT about 90% of the time and am shocked the other 10% when you either A) use real money to buy your junk food binge, or B) use EBT to buy your real food. It is absolutely an issue. For every three people buying real food on EBT there are seven people buying junk food and luxury items on EBT. It is shameful and abusive, selfish and sinful. If you are one of the folks using the system and abusing the system you should be ashamed of yourself. Just because you live in America you think it’s the governments job to take care of you? It’s not. It’s your own job. So get a job, get off disability, put yourself on a budget and act like a grown up and not like a kid in a candy store with a found $20 dollar bill.

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Knowing that people are cataloging every EBT purchase makes shopping hell. Asking for help isn’t easy, and that makes it much harder. I realize you give people that right when you accept their tax money, but it doesn’t make it any less difficult. The system does need reform, but I might suggest working to change the program at its source rather than making snap (pun intended) judgments about everyone who comes through your register.

Thanks for your input. I do agree the system needs reform and is badly broken. When someone is flaunting their fabulous handbag and luxury vacations to Florida and using EBT, I will make a judgement. It’s human nature and I’m honest enough to admit it.

I appreciate your straight-forward (and correct, if you ask me) opinion on this subject. I am a stay at home mother of three, one of whom is autistic and requires ongoing therapy. We’ve been asked several times why we don’t get a medical card and apply for food stamps, and it is pretty irritating. It’s not always easy, and we have to cut corners here and there, but we don’t need to be spoonfed just because we technically qualify for it. Besides, there are plenty of things I could still do without before I justify having everything taken care of for me.
I’m afraid it is a badly abused system that has gotten way out of hand because it is so easy to take advantage of it.